In light of the recent "spatial turn" in critical theory and variouscritical attempts to "remap" the field of American studies, we areseeking contributions for an essay collection that investigatesintersections between geography and cultural production prior to thefounding of the National Geographic Society in 1888. Proposals areinvited to address some of the following questions: How does the recentturn towards spatial questions in cultural studies affect the field ofAmerican studies? How do the methods of historical geography andliterary analysis complement each other? How does the geographicalrhetoric in critical theory and practice influence the conception ofidentity in the imperial, colonial, or national contexts? How have themateriality and technology of geographic discourse informedsubjectivities, sexualities, literatures, and cultures?